UK coronavirus death toll up by 83 as Scotland marks 13th day with no new deaths
The UK coronavirus death toll has risen by 83 to a total of almost 46,000, amid warnings of a second virus peak.
As of 5pm on Tuesday, 45,961 people have died after testing positive for Covid-19 in hospitals, care homes and the wider community - up from 45,878 the day before.
But separate figures published by the UK’s statistics agencies show there have now been more than 56,400 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.
The government also said in the 24-hour period up to 9am on Tuesday, there had been a further 763 lab-confirmed coronavirus cases.
A further 19 people have died of coronavirus in UK hospitals, marking a significant increase on the same time last week.
Fourteen deaths were recorded in England’s hospitals as of 4pm on Tuesday, with another five confirmed in Wales.
Northern Ireland and Scotland reported no new fatalities.
Nicola Sturgeon announced Wednesday’s count as she confirmed the country had now gone 13 days without losing a life to Covid-19.
The UK-wide figure is a 73 per cent rise on the 11 hospital deaths recorded on the same day a week ago.
It brings the total number of deaths in UK hospitals to 33,918.
The figures come amid mounting concerns that the UK could be on the brink of a second wave of the virus.
NHS managers at all levels of the health care system are "highly concerned" about the prospect of a fresh surge in the outbreak, MP's were told today.
Niall Dickson, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: “I would say in relation to the second spike issue or something coming, the levels of concern among our members – the people who are leading NHS trusts – is very high."
He told the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus (APPG) that while there was "real concern about winter", many professionals were also growing increasingly worried about "an earlier spike".
“We have already mentioned exhausted staff (and) we are already trying to rebuild other services,” he explained.
Meanwhile, ministers have called for stockpiles of medicines to be increased ahead of a possible resurgence of the pandemic.
In a report examining the economic impact of Covid-19, the Commons International Trade Committee said the typical six-month “buffer stock” of medicine supplies needs to be boosted.
The study found that UK trade in essential goods like pharmaceuticals, medical supplies and food had mainly managed well in the crisis, but more action was needed.
MPs said: “UK supply chains in these critical sectors have largely held up during the pandemic, despite spikes in demand, disruption to production and freight, and export bans in some countries.
“While UK supply chains for medicines have proved to be resilient, they can only be stretched so far.
“The Government must ensure that buffer stock of medicines (which typically only lasts up to six months) is being replenished in case of a further pandemic wave.”
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